Children's home run by Mulberry House Care Homes Limited

Inspection report children’s home: SC436551 1 SC436551 Registered provider: Mulberry House Care Homes Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The children’s home is registered for three young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is one of several homes operated by an independent provider.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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Requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected Requires improvement to be good

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Requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers Requires improvement to be good

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Requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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Requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 9 February 2017

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Requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: declined in effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection

None Inspection report children’s home: SC436551 2

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Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home requires improvement to be good because:

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Key findings from this inspection

 The registered manager has not taken action to meet two requirements made at the last inspection.  Staff have not responded to one young person’s complaint.  Staff do not always amend risk assessments when circumstances change, with particular reference to fire safety.  Not all staff are trained in fire safety.  Some records are not kept up to date. Furthermore, young people’s records do not reflect their day-to-day lives and experiences.  Staff do not receive training to meet the specific health need of one young person.  Staff do not always consult with young people about changes in the home.  The home is not maintained to a good standard.  Managers do not review the home’s development plans regularly to progress improvement.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff support young people to reduce risky behaviours. As a result, episodes of going missing from care have reduced.  Young people’s learning opportunities and school attendance improve.  Staff support young people’s contact arrangements well. This ensures that young people maintain contact with those people who are important to them.  Staff work well with partner agencies to progress young people’s plans and promote young people’s welfare.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/02/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 31/08/2016 Full Good 02/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 21/01/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC436551 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. The registered person must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who understand the children’s homes overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that the premises used for the purpose of the home are designed and furnished so as to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6(1) and (2)(c)(i)) 31/07/2017

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that the health and well- being needs of children are met.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that staff help each child to understand and develop skills to promote the child’s well-being. (Regulation 10(2)(a)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, staff require training to understand and meet the specific health need of one young person. 31/08/2017

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purpose of the home are maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12(2)(d)) 31/07/2017

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment in the children’s home; 31/07/2017 Inspection report children’s home: SC436551 4 provide adequate means of escape from the home in the event of fire;

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Requirement Due date

make arrangements for persons working at the home to receive suitable training in fire prevention;

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Requirement Due date

ensure, by means of fire drills and practices at suitable intervals, that persons working at the home and, so far as reasonably practical, children are aware of the procedures to follow in case of fire. (Regulation 25(1)(a)(b)(c)(d)) The registered person must maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4 and ensure that the records are kept up to date. (Regulation 37(2)(a)(b) Schedule (4)(6))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the admissions and discharge register and pocket money records. 31/08/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39(3)) 31/08/2017

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Recommendations

 Ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies and procedures on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  Ensure that staff consult children regularly on their views about the home’s care, to inform and support continued improvement in the quality of care provided. Due consideration should be given to the child’s cognitive ability in the development and implementation of any consultation processes. Children should be able to see the results of their views being listened to and acted upon. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)  Ensure that quality of care reviews are used as a tool for continuous improvement in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality

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Recommendations

standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.4) Specifically, that when managers identify actions to improve standards of care, they act on them. Inspection report children’s home: SC436551 5

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improvement to be good

Since the last full inspection in August 2017, three young people have moved into the home and four young people have moved on. Three young people moved on positively and in line with their care plans. One young person moved on sooner than was originally planned to promote the safety and welfare of other young people.

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improvement to be good

The change in dynamics of young people has been unsettling. At times, this has had a negative impact on the relationships between some young people. For example, because of the influence of others, some young people have engaged in anti-social behaviour. This has the potential to hinder young people’s progress.

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improvement to be good

Most young people get on well with the staff and can talk to them about their worries. However, at times relationships between staff and some young people have been difficult. Some young people ignore rules and boundaries and have not responded to the staff’s attempts to support them with their behaviour. One young person’s behaviour deteriorated and this placed him and others at risk of harm. As a result, managers chose to end his placement sooner than anticipated. This recent decision was made to safeguard the young person and others.

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improvement to be good

Most young people attend school or college and do well with their learning. For example, one young person is making good progress at college. His tutor commented, ‘He is doing really well. I have no concerns. He gets involved. His attendance is really good.’ Staff work well with education workers to help young people to overcome barriers to their learning. Young people receive bespoke support to help them to engage and return to school. As a result, young people learn at a pace that they can manage. Because of the support they receive, young people’s learning opportunities increase.

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improvement to be good

The staff meet most young people’s health needs well. When appointments are missed or refused, the staff are vigilant in rebooking these. They persist in supporting young people and encouraging them to attend health appointments. This promotes their well- being. Furthermore, young people begin to take more responsibility for their own health. One young person has a specific health diagnosis. Staff are not fully informed about what this means and how it impacts on the young person’s development. A requirement is raised to ensure that staff receive training in this area, so that they can meet the young person’s individual need fully.

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improvement to be good

The staff do not always consult young people about changes to the home. For example, a young person removed some furniture from a communal area of the home to use in his bedroom. Although staff agreed to this, they did not consult with other young people to seek their views about how this would affect them. This does not provide young people the opportunity to share their views and to be treated equally. Inspection report children’s home: SC436551 6 Young people enjoy having contact with people who are important to them. This ensures that strong bonds are formed and family ties are strengthened. As a result, young people maintain a sense of belonging and this promotes their identity.

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improvement to be good

Staff prepare young people for independence well. Young people develop confidence and self-care skills. Staff support young people to take their next steps. As a result, three young people have successfully moved on to independence in line with their care plans.

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improvement to be good

Young people know how to complain and they do so. Managers and staff have not responded to one young person’s complaint. This shows that young people’s complaints are not always taken seriously. Although young people have a voice, this is not always listened to. This does not promote young people’s well-being.

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improvement to be good

Young people have not always felt safe because they have been bullied by other young people in the home. One young person has been assaulted by other residents. This affects the young person’s welfare and experience of living in the home. Staff do take steps to protect young people. They make it clear to young people that bullying is not acceptable. Staff reinforce this through daily discussions and key working. Staff have involved the police to help young people to understand the seriousness of bullying and the possible consequences. Staff work hard with the police to encourage young people to turn their behaviour around. This prevents young people from being criminalised. Incidents of bullying have reduced.

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improvement to be good

Young people do not go missing from care as often as they once did. This is because the staff work in partnership with young people, professionals and social workers to find out why young people go missing. This helps people to work out what can be done to stop it happening again. For example, one young person used to run back to his home town to be near his family. Staff worked with the social worker and his parents to review the young person’s contact arrangements. This helped the young person to see his family and reduced his need to run off. Good partnership working helps to keep young people safe.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand and manage young people’s risky behaviours. Risk assessments contain detailed information. This helps the staff to identify risk, look for triggers and put in place strategies to support young people. For example, the staff re-evaluated the risk assessment after a young person was found in possession of a knife. They took appropriate action to keep the young person and others safe.

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improvement to be good

Staff respond well when they have concerns about a child’s welfare. For example, when the staff have reason to believe that a young person has something that they could harm themselves with, or other people, they will search the young person’s bedroom. Staff follow the correct procedures when they do this. The staff explain to young people why a room search is necessary. They tell young people when a room search is taking place and give them the choice to be present. As a result of this action, they keep young Inspection report children’s home: SC436551 7 people safe. Furthermore, staff record room searches in line with procedure. As a result, a recommendation raised at the last inspection has been met.

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improvement to be good

At times young people defy the rules and boundaries. For example, young people smoke in their bedrooms, which is against the rules. The measures in place to alert staff to young people smoking in their bedrooms are ineffective. The smoke detectors do not sound as they do not detect cigarette smoke. This places young people and staff at risk of harm.

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improvement to be good

This inspection identified other health and safety concerns. For example, a kitchen door, which also acts as a fire exit, is broken. A new door is being purchased. However, managers have not updated the fire risk assessment to outline alternative routes to take until the broken door is replaced. Staff do not carry out fire evacuation drills at the frequency outlined in the home’s fire risk assessment. This does not guarantee that staff or young people know how to exit the building safely in the event of a fire.

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improvement to be good

Some young people have caused damage to the home. Not all of the damage has been repaired quickly. For example, there was a big dining table that young people used to sit at together to eat their meals. This got damaged and has not been replaced. Living in a home that is not well maintained has a direct impact on young people’s experiences. A staff member said, ‘It impacts on the young people that have been resident for some time. They see it as their home and do not like it being treated with disrespect.’

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improvement to be good

Young people receive consequences to help them to understand how their behaviour affects themselves and other people. This has mixed results, with some young people being more responsive than others. Young people feel that consequences are fair and proportionate. Praise is given verbally, and young people receive rewards when they do well. Acknowledging young people’s achievements means that negative behaviour does not become the sole focus of attention. It also helps young people to feel valued.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The previous manager resigned in March 2017. A new manager was appointed on 2 May 2017, but left on 19 May 2017. A further manager has been appointed and began work on 5 June 2017. This person is in the process of submitting an application to register with Ofsted. The new manager is suitably qualified and experienced. During the periods without a manager, the director of care assumed responsibility for the day-to-day running of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The home has had a turbulent time with the changes in managers. Additionally, there has been some staffing shortfalls due to sickness absence. Because young people did not know who was coming on duty each day, this caused them anxiety. However, the recent change in management has brought about a renewed sense of optimism for staff and young people. This is creating stability and helping young people to feel more settled.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The staff continue to receive regular supervision regardless of the recent changes in managers. They say that the appointment of the new manager is helpful. Staff report Inspection report children’s home: SC436551 8 that the new manager is supporting improvement. For example, the manager is already streamlining systems to improve efficiency. Furthermore, a staff member said, ‘The way she is with the young people and staff, she has already implemented changes and getting things back on track.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff confirm that the training provided helps them to understand most young people’s needs. However, staff have not received training in dyspraxia. This hinders the staff’s ability to provide additional support to meet a young person’s specific need. The manager and the deputy also require fire safety training to fully promote staff and young people’s safety.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff develop good working relationships with external professionals, such as independent reviewing officers, social workers, health practitioners and the police. Collaborative working promotes young people’s welfare and helps to progress their care plans.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The admissions and discharge register is not kept up to date. As a result, some required information is missing. Other aspects of record-keeping require improvement. For example, staff do not accurately record young people’s pocket monies. Furthermore, daily records contain only basic information. Consequently, records do not give a clear picture about each young person’s daily life in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager provides Ofsted with information about significant events. This keeps the regulator informed of serious events that occur.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

An independent person monitors the home each month and writes a report. Areas identified for improvement are shared with the manager. The internal quality of care review was completed in February 2017. This was shared with Ofsted in line with regulation. However, managers do not review the home’s development plan regularly to ensure that timely progress is made. This limits the capacity of the home to improve.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The lack of leadership at times has impacted on staff’s ability to maintain the home to a good standard. Managers have not overseen improvements to the home’s furnishings and decor. As a result, the home is sparsely furnished and decorated. Young people say that they feel sad and disappointed that they do not live in a homely environment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Two requirements raised at the last inspection have not been met. Both relate to the condition of the home. The flooring in the laundry room and the carpet on the stairs have not been replaced or cleaned. The responsible individual confirmed during the inspection that arrangements to rectify these issues have now been made. However, the work has not been completed yet. This shows that leaders and managers do not act quickly to improve standards of care for young people. Inspection report children’s home: SC436551 9

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and young people and their families. In addition, the inspectors have tried to understand what the children’s home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people whom it is trying to help, protect and look after.

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Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. Inspection report children’s home: SC436551 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Mulberry House Care Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Tollgate Business Centre, Tollgate Drive, Stafford, Staffordshire ST16 3HS

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Inspector

Michelle Spruce, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC436551 11 achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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